Supernova - Special Edition

The science fiction genre, it seems, is descending into sharp decline with the major Hollywood studios producing half-baked efforts that are, for the most part, appallingly sub-standard when compared to the glorious heights achieved by its modern seminal classics, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and its nearest rival, George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977). Each of these films remain as landmarks within the field, and set new standards in terms of production, content, and helped galvanise public perception; 2001, with its realistic depictions of space travel and metaphysical, almost spiritual, philosophies, forced a dramatic reappraisal of science fiction and its fans, who were often ridiculed as nothing more than self-deluded and intellectually misguided misfits.

Lucas’ film, on the other hand, made science fiction respectable and, therefore, instantly accessible to audiences who would normally avoid viewing a film of its fantastical nature; within months of its initial release, Star Wars had spawned a deluge of imitations, which produced numerous abominable efforts, accumulating in perhaps one of the worst Star Wars inspired travesties ever made, Lewis Coates’ Starcrash (1979). It should be remembered that although several notable sci-fi films were produced prior to 1977, the genre was still considered to be a somewhat independent market, catering for the tastes of society’s cultural fringe; with the phenomenal performance of Star Wars, the other major Hollywood studios followed 20th Century Fox's lead and attempted to capitalise on its success.

For a genre which prided itself on innovation and new philosophical ideas, science fiction seems to have become a self-parody of itself, with the only much-needed solace to the sci-fi community coming from the cyberpunk sub-genre. Influenced by the writings of literary prophet William Gibson, this dark techno-gothic sub-branch has produced several artistic and commercial successes, including the Wachowski Brothers’ The Matrix (1999), David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (1999), Vincenzo Natali’s beautifully diabolical Cube (1998), and Tarsem Singh’s The Cell (2000); all have contributed greatly to the genre. Which now brings us to Supernova...

MGM’s Supernova (2000) is perhaps the worst major science fiction film to be released since the turgid mess that was Battlefield Earth (2000) and the inane Lost In Space (1998). Supernova is a confused, convoluted directorial effort, infused with dubious scientific elements, unsympathetic and poorly-constructed characters, a limp script with cascades of the most dreadful and meandering dialogue, and unnecessary amounts of nudity and sex that provide no titillation. If nothing more, Supernova is the mutant offspring of the B-grade movies which dominated sci-fi cinema in the 1950’s and 1960’s. However, it is devoid of the charm which those films tend to exhibit.

The rancor and discord surrounding Supernova’s production history is, ironically, far more dramatic that the feature film itself; the volatile combination of an egotistical and antagonistic director battling with the interference of uncooperative studio moguls, sealed the film’s fate and hastened its death at the box-office. Credited as being directed by a certain “Thomas Lee,� a pseudonym for the talented perfectionist Walter Hill (48 Hours, The Warriors, and The Long Riders), and the successor to the much-beloved “Alan Smithee,� Supernova’s turmoil is evident in every facet of its presentation: scripting, direction, and acting.

Constricted by unwilling MGM executives’ demands to curtail the film’s violent content, Hill, unable to produce the picture he wanted, angrily retired from the project; Hill’s desertion prompted the studio to hire the services of esteemed producer and director Francis Ford Coppola in an attempt to reedit the film and, thus, salvage it. However, he soon realised that in order for the film to be coherent, it needed to be drastically restructured, something that could not be achieved without significant financial investment by the studio. As a consequence, Coppola departed and was, in turn, replaced by Jack Sholder, a director best known for his work in the horror genre and whose credits included Alone in the Dark (1982)and The Hidden (1987); in addition, he was also the editor on Tony Maylam’s exploitation shocker, The Burning (1981).

However, as the moment of Supernova’s imminent release approached, all three directors distanced themselves from the resultant mess; hence, “Thomas Lee� was credited. Needless to say, Supernova was a massive critical and financial disaster. Boasting a production cost of $60 million, the film, despite premiering in 2,280 theatres in the United States, the film earned a meagre $6, 731,000; to date, Supernova has grossed little more than $14 million.

"Describe the effect of ninth-dimensional material upon a third-dimensional universe. "

Supernova’s plot is derivative of other more accomplished and superior films such as Alien (1979), Event Horizon (1998), and Saturn 3 (1980). Sometime within the 23rd century, the Trans Soma medical rescue vessel Nightingale 229 maintains a constant vigilance, patrolling the interstellar lanes, ready to assist those in need within moments. Interspersed with periods of high drama, the Nightingale’s crew must endure long stretches of boredom; at best, the ship’s crew is a motley one. Robert Forester (Jackie Brown), an actor always welcome, is completely wasted in a thankless role as the Nightingale’s captain, A. J. Marley. Somewhat distant towards his crew, he is seemingly content to remain in the one of the ship’s observation domes, seeking his doctoral thesis in anthropology through a detailed analysis of violence in 20th century children’s cartoons.

Nightingale’s co-pilot and first officer, Nick Vanzant (James Spader, Crash and Sex, Lies and Videotape) is a recovering drug addict, released from a narcotics rehabilitation centre after his addiction to Hazen, a malevolent psychotropic substance. Chief Medical Officer, Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett, What’s Love Got To Do With It and Strange Days) is the personification of no-nonsense competence, dedicating, it seems, her every waking moment to her profession, which serves as a shield to distance herself from her colleagues. Psychologically scarred from a previous relationship, Evers has developed an indifferent attitude to human contact.

Medical Technicians Danika Lund (Robin Tunney, End of Days) and Yerzy Penalosa (Lou Diamond Phillips) seem to indulge in frequent sexual couplings, although there appears to be a complete lack of chemistry between them. Scientist Benj Sotomejor's (Wilson Cruz) pet project is in the reprogramming of the Nightingale’s central computer, nauseatingly nicknamed Sweetie (voiced by Vanessa Marshall), whose silken and sensual female monotones seem as though they were sourced from a low-grade pornographic movie. Benj has partially infused the computer with a human personality, which the scientist hopes will achieve full sentience, while Sweetie learns about human emotions and motivations by conversing and playing chess with her “creator.�

The crew’s lull is disrupted when the Nightingale receives a distress call from a rogue planetoid in an uncharted region of space, originating from the derelict Trans Soma mining colony, Titan 37, which is orbiting a blue giant, a star writhing in its death-throes and on the verge of going supernova. The rescue ship and its crew perform a dimension jump, which succeeds in placing the Nightingale in mortal danger; with its captain dead and the medical vessel gripped within the blue giant’s gravitational field, the crew’s dire circumstances are made worse with the arrival of the distress signal’s sender, Karl Larson (Peter Facinelli, whose resemblance to Tom Cruise is quite uncanny).

Larson is the custodian of a mysterious alien artefact, which promises to be the source of “unimaginable� power, but, in reality, looks like an oversized, translucent phallus-shaped cylinder comprised of phosphorescent turquoise and crimson gel. Indeed, the object is so phallic that Tunney’s character remarks: “It looks like an alien sex toy.� To reveal anymore of the so-called plot would be to deprive viewers of their, albeit masochistic, enjoyment of the film and its “suspenseful� elements; suffice to mention, Supernova’s outcome is predictable at best, as anyone would has seen Alien, Event Horizon, or even Disney’s The Black Hole (1979) will testify.

Supernova is presented in its correct screen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is anamorphic. The transfer itself is nothing short of magnificent and can easily be deemed reference material; it is a great shame that a picture of such brilliant quality and clarity is wasted on such a forgettable film. MGM have proved for some time now that they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to transferring films to DVD: prime examples of their immense skill include the Bond 007 series, Hackers, and Stigmata. Despite the reservations that this reviewer holds about the film itself, there are few complaints about Supernova’s presentation.

Black levels are superb, providing great depth; shadow detail, too, is neither too dark or opaque, and can be considered perfect. Details are razor-sharp, even crisp, yet there is no discernible indication of edge enhancement; whether it be the facial features of the actors themselves, the exterior detail of the Nightingale and the Titan 37 mining colony, or the stunning art-deco-influenced sets of the ship itself, all are beautifully rendered. Brightness and contrast are both perfectly pitched, allowing for excellent detail, even in the most dimly-lit environment; in short, this is a testament to the superior picture resolution of DVD.

There are no MPEG artefacts, although there are numerous film artefacts consisting of mostly black dots and thin hairs, which appear periodically throughout the film; despite their perplexing nature, these minor anomalies proved to be of no distraction to the film itself. Even in the most intensely active scenes, there is no evidence of pixelisation and grain. Flesh-tones are perfect and there is no colour-bleeding or oversaturation, beautifully complimenting a vivid and high-contrast colour palette; Supernova’s colour scheme swings from one end of the spectrum to the other, either exhibiting cool steel blues and greys or fiery reds and yellows, providing awesome saturation.

The layer transition occurs at 50 minutes and 37 seconds approximately half-way through Chapter 16. Although it is somewhat noticeable as it is situated at the end of a conversation, the change is of minimal disruption.

In spite of the proclamation on the DVD cover slick that there is but one audio selection, there are, in fact, five different alternative audio tracks to choose from: the English Dolby Digital 5.1, the German Dolby Digital 5.1, the French Dolby Digital 5.1, the Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, and the Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1. This reviewer sampled all tracks, but stuck to the weapon of choice, the English 5.1; without question, this is one of the most dynamic sound mixes I have yet had the pleasure of listening to. While it will not supplant The Matrix, Jurassic Park and the devastating Saving Private Ryan as the benchmark for 5.1 audio, Supernova’s mix is, nevertheless, an excellent home theatre experience, containing scenes that scream “demo material.�

Supernova boasts an extremely aggressive 5.1 track, which exhibits earth-shattering split surround effects, encompassing ambiance and sound that provides an immersive atmosphere, and extremely deep bass resonance. Indeed, during the film’s special effects showpieces, most notably, the Nightingale’s dimension jump in Chapter 5, front and rear separation is particularly intense and succeeded, for a while at least, in pinning me deep into the chair and, it seemed, unable to breath until it was over. Throughout the film, there is great amount of multi-directional sound, with a highlight being the voice of Sweetie, the ship’s central computer; her silken tones are such as though she is standing within the centre of the room.

Dialogue is exceptionally clear, even crisp, and easy to understand. The orchestral score by composer David Williams is fairly standard, and seems to be an amalgamation of Jerry Goldsmith’s Alien and Alan Silvestri's The Abyss. However, the 5.1 mix displays great tonal range and fidelity; there is no discernible drop in sound or audio quality. As with the film’s video department, Supernova’s audio is of reference quality.

MGM have packaged this DVD with a number of extras which consists of the obligatory theatrical trailer, twelve deleted scenes, and an alternate ending. Ironically, these additions provide more interest than the feature film itself and give an insight into the potential heights Supernova could have achieved if Coppola was granted the financial backing he needed to restructure the film to his personal vision.

Theatrical Trailer. Presented in an non-anamorphic screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, this trailer is a true revelation as to the film’s traumatic production history. Containing an inappropriate soundtrack featuring Sugar Ray’s Fly and music samples from the film Boogie Nights, it seems to be marketing Supernova as a space comedy, rather than a suspense-horror picture. Of particular note is the fact that no credits, including the film’s title, are mentioned. Running for 2 minutes and 2 seconds, the trailer itself is unintentionally hilarious.

Deleted Scenes. Including the Alternate Ending, this section contains thirteen out-takes that were considered to be either unnecessary to the film’s narrative, or were deemed too graphic for Supernova’s expectant PG-13 rating in the United States. The footage here is fascinating when compared to the finished product; Hill’s gore-laden approach to the film is evident in The Autopsy, where Evers is conducting a modus operandi on a deceased crew member, and Eye Popping, which depicts a far more gruesome demise for Yerzy than featured in the final cut. However, the most intriguing deletion is the Alternate Ending, which is in stark contrast to the relatively optimistic feel of the original theatrical version; it features a truly dark and ominous coda.

Presented in an non-anamorphic screen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, these scenes are of rather poor quality, showing severe lack of colour and large amounts of compression and film artefacts; despite this, they are still quite watchable. After their magnificent work with Stigmata, it is a pity that MGM did not enable an unique branching feature to allow viewers the option of watching Supernova with both the Alternate Opening and Ending sequences, as they are superior in both style and content to the original theatrical version. Unfortunately, it is a missed opportunity.

It must be reiterated: Supernova could have been an adequate, if not entertaining popcorn-movie experience, were it not for the dissension and bitter infighting which raged over the film’s artistic control. Accusations can be made as to who or what is responsible for the film’s catastrophic lack of direction, and the answer is plain and simple; Hill and Coppola are widely acknowledged as two of cinema’s most consistent directors, who demonstrate not only great nuance, but also exquisite visual flair. Even with their most troubled productions, Hill’s The Warriors (1979) and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), they have overcome insurmountable adversity to create cinematic masterpieces which stand up to close scrutiny, and, therefore, can not be ridiculed, but respected.

Thus, the blame must be levelled at the studio executives, who were unwilling to allow their string of directors free artistic reign over the film project; it was this reluctance on MGM’s behalf that sabotaged the structual integrity of Supernova’s already-thin plot and destined it to become one of the worst films in the modern sci-fi canon. Although consisting of high-calibre actors in the form of Robert Forester, Angela Basset and James Spader, Supernova’s characters are strictly one-dimensional, uninteresting, and devoid of warming characteristics. Ironically, Sweetie, a disembodied voice, possesses more dramatic range and humanity than her human counterparts.

If you have a sadomasochistic inclination to view films of a truly terrible nature, a la Godzilla and Lost In Space, then Supernova may fit your bill as a popcorn-movie. But it must be mentioned that, although the aforementioned films are unashamedly abominable, they do have a peculiar charm which makes them endearing; Supernova, however, does not fall into the same category. From a critical perspective, the science fiction genre has reached a new pinnacle in tastelessness with the film’s release. Yet, if you are in that particular frame of mind and need to experience a film that is light and trashy, Supernova could be considered to be a worthy rental.